Hint: You can prevent https://lifeline4gaza.com/ <- this from happening, or solve the unsolveable historical mysteries that haunt us all.

Premise: the continuum is bullshit and can do whatever idk, viewing only or with alterations, depending on what makes sense to you. It’s not a contest to do the most (well okay it is but that could limit our inquiry), just whatever occurs to you first.

  • folaht@lemmy.ml
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    4 hours ago

    2009 January 8, going to my own apartment and bringing a modern server and USB stick to myself.
    The next day I’d put some files on the USB stick and give it to my younger self and give him instructions to only sell 5% per year and don’t invest in any other coins.

    Also younger self, you don’t have just a little social ineptitude, you have full-blown autism.
    Also younger self, invest in Novo Nordisk and get some Ozempic the moment you have the chance.
    Also younger self, congratulations on being mostly right about what the future of world politics and technology would hold, including the US becoming fascist, but here’s an updated version of it.

  • Sharkticon@lemmy.zip
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    6 hours ago

    There’s a lot of interesting Branch points you can think of. I’ve always been interested in what would have happened if Bobby Kennedy hadn’t been assassinated. That seems like a really big one.

    Of course maybe the most important one I can think of is going back in time and beating Jubal Early to death before I can start all that lost cause bullshit.

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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      6 hours ago

      Absolutely terrible idea, why would you want Tsarism to persist?! If anything, saving Lenin and Sverdlov would have probably helped the early soviets.

  • Saprophyte@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    Dec 15th, 1791 along with an AR-15 and four high capacity magazines just to explain something to a few people.

  • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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    13 hours ago

    Take a slide rule to ancient Babylon because on some level I’m morally offended we didn’t figure that one out until the 17th century. Ideally this also snipes a variety of terrible numeral systems.

  • chunes@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    About 300 million years ago.

    That’s the earliest time that you could still breathe comfortably.

    • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Brooks Brothers Rioters. Cut all their valve stems. Also, maybe do something about the SC, because they just handed the election to Bush anyway.

      • FoundFootFootage78@lemmy.ml
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        14 hours ago

        Alternatively I’d somehow stop the Taft-Hartley act from passing. It prevented trade unions from making political donations until Citizens United vs FEC.

  • chaosCruiser@futurology.today
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    1 day ago

    I would go to the year 1800, and bring with me a bunch of books on science and engineering. Basically all the building blocks you need to build wind farms and solar power. I would visit all the universities I can and drop these books in library shelves. Some climate change literature could be nice too.

      • chaosCruiser@futurology.today
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        1 day ago

        I have a plan B too, but it’s not so gentle.

        The goal is to become the number one energy producer and stomp out all opposition and competition before it has a chance to grow. There are no laws against cartels and monopolies, so you exploit the hell out of it. You file extremely broad patents to prevent fossil fuels and combustion based motors from ever becoming a thing. You play super dirty, no mercy, no remorse. It’s going to be basically like the East-India Company, but with renewable energy.

        You lobby governments to adopt renewable energy and electrical devices you provide. You influence the public opinion on fossil fuels by spreading information about climate change, pollution and negative health effects. If the global energy company becomes big enough, you should make your own private army and conquer all the places where large oil deposits exist, and establish massive natural reserve parks in those areas. Lobby the governments to make other similar areas legally protected from all industrial development for the next 1000 years.

        You would become the supervillain billionaire of the 1800s, but you put the whole world on a renewable trajectory.

        • bountygiver [any]@lemmy.ml
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          19 hours ago

          You influence the public opinion on fossil fuels by spreading information about climate change, pollution and negative health effects

          if you are playing dirty, telling them digging up those evil black liquid out can anger the gods would work too

          • chaosCruiser@futurology.today
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            8 hours ago

            That could work too. Superstitions and religions were in at the time, so I think there’s plenty to exploit.

            You could call coal the Devil’s rock, and spread rumors about it being cursed and haunted. You cal talk about the smoke causing vice, moral decay and sin. Oil could be seen as the blood of the Earth, tears from ancient curses, bad omens etc. Only rebellious sorcerers and heretics would dare to tamper with the natural order of things by burning oil. As the un-godly un-natural smoke poisons the air, it poisons the soul etc. God gave you the sun and wind, so using them is the only righteous choice… You get the idea. The 1800s was a magical period of time.